Man convicted on molestation charge

BARNSTABLE – An East Falmouth man was convicted yesterday of one of seven counts of child molestation against him.

Scott Coyle, 39, was found guilty of indecent assault and battery on a child after a bench trial this week before Judge Richard Connon in Barnstable Superior Court.

Coyle was acquitted of six of the seven counts of molesting three different girls – at the time, ages 6, 7 and 8 – from two families.

Assistant District Attorney Bryan Francis Shea said in court that Coyle ingratiated himself with the two families, offering to help around the house and doing odd jobs, including, eventually, supervising bath time for some of the girls.

He was accused of touching girls’ genitalia while giving them a bath, despite instructions from the family that the girls were old enough to do the washing on their own, Shea said.

One girl testified that Coyle also “tickled my coo” on the outside of her clothing during a ride in his pickup truck, according to court proceedings yesterday. It was unclear yesterday which of the incidents he was found guilty of.

Defense attorney Lawrence Glynn said during his closing argument that during the baths, there was “no manipulation, no massage” of the girls and that Coyle bathed the girls normally.

As the verdicts were read, the father of two of the girls said he was shaking and thinking of lunging over the pews in the courtroom as each “not guilty” verdict was read off.

But half way down the list, assistant clerk Scott Colgan said “guilty,” and the father made a low fist pump, smiled with relief grasped other family members. Both the girls and their parents now struggle to trust other people, the parents said outside court.

Coyle will be sentenced on December 20. Connon may consider, among other factors, Coyle’s low IQ – 72, according to Glynn – and a prior rape case against him when he was a juvenile.